Chapter 11

Isabella had left work early to do some paperwork at home. Jack had a sudden influx of work, so he would be working late into the night and promised to call her later. She smiled as she stepped into the shower and let the water wash away the stress of the day.

She and Jack had woken that morning wrapped in each other’s arms. As unusual as it was for her to wake up next to someone, Isabella hadn’t minded one bit. She was sure Jessica had noticed the chemistry between them at the coffee shop when he came in for his usual order, but all her friend had done was grin at her with a twinkle in her eye. But she still hadn’t told Jack about David, and that worried her. There was still a chance he would walk away when he found out, but at least she would have that memory to keep close to her heart.

She put her hands on the shower wall and shook her head. There was no point in thinking like that. Not yet. First, she would make dinner and then do a little work before bedtime. Tomorrow was a new day.

Isabella stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her comfiest pajamas. She was ready for some comfort food, a warm blanket, and HGTV.

A clang came from the kitchen and Isabella stopped moving to listen intently. Someone was in her house. Her heart pounded as visions of David’s cold eyes appeared in her memories. Her heart raced as she imagined all the things he might do to her. It wasn’t just that she was scared. She was downright terrified of David. And she prayed to every god who might listen that it wasn’t him.

She tiptoed to her closet and pulled out the baseball bat she kept there for this very reason. Isabella raised the bat to her shoulder and slowly crept down the hallway.

A familiar and comforting smell assailed her senses. The intruder was cooking pizza?

Isabella rounded the corner into the kitchen and dropped the baseball bat down to her side. “Lucy? Lucy!”

“Izzy!” Lucy shouted as she turned around and went to give her sister a big hug. “I heard you in the shower and didn’t want to disturb you so I thought I’d start on dinner. Why do you have a baseball bat in your hand?”

“I thought you were an intruder. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be slaving over a hot stove for Marc? Not that I’m not glad to see you,” Isabella joked with a grin on her face, happy to have her sister home again.

“He’s by far the better cook out of the two of us. And it just so happens that he and Jack are having a boys’ night. So I decided we get a girls’ night.”

“Thanks, Lucy. I’m glad you’re here,” said Isabella as she hugged her sister again, a hug Lucy happily returned.

“Are you okay, Izzy?”

“Yeah, I’m great,” Isabella said. “What’s for dinner?”

Lucy studied her little sister for a minute and knew for a fact that Isabella wasn’t okay, but she would get the truth out of her later. “Homemade pizza. Mom’s recipe, of course.”

“Oh, we haven’t done that in a while,” Isabella said as she clapped her hands. Their mother’s recipes were always amazing and always provided them comfort.

“That’s what I thought. How about you chop the veggies and I’ll get the dough ready?” Lucy said as she draped an apron around her sister’s neck.

“Sounds like a plan, batman,” Isabella said with a giggle.

They worked together, creating the pizzas as they talked together about everything and anything, as sisters tend to do. And once their pizzas were in the oven, they sat down at the kitchen table while they waited for them to bake.

“So, how’s everything been lately?” Lucy asked.

“Good. Great, actually,” Isabella said with a soft smile.

Lucy smiled in response and saw how truly happy her sister was. “I heard David’s back.”

Isabella looked at Lucy, startled. How had she found out so fast? But she nodded as the smile slipped from her face.

“Jack called Marc, who told me what happened,” said Lucy. “Izzy, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry,” said Isabella as she looked down at the table in front of her. The old shame welled up inside of her that she hadn’t been smart enough to see David for what he truly was or brave enough to leave David at the beginning.

“Izzy, that’s silly. I’m your big sister. It’s my job to worry.” Lucy wasn’t chiding her, just gently reminding Isabella that she was there.

“I know. And I appreciate that. But you’re happily married now and I don’t want to ruin that.”

“You can’t ruin that, Izzy. And neither can David.”

Isabella nodded her head, but still felt awful about it all.

“Did he do anything to you?” Lucy asked, the worry shining in her eyes and Isabella was quick to reassure her.

“No. He showed up at The Bean but Jack intervened and David left. He wasn’t happy, though.”

“Jack, huh? He seems pretty close to you these days,” Lucy said with a sly smile.

Isabella blushed and looked away from her sister, clearing her throat. But it was too late. Lucy had seen the blush and knew what it meant.

“Really? You slept with him?” Lucy squealed in happiness.

“Lucy, I didn’t know it could be like that,” Isabella whispered as she remembered the pleasure and the happiness Jack had made her feel the other night.

“Oh, Izzy, I’m glad you finally experience how true love can be.”

“I didn’t say I was in love with him,” Isabella defended herself, even though she knew Lucy was right.

And Lucy knew it to, if the look she threw at Isabella was any indication. “My dear sweet baby sister, of course you’re in love with him. After what you went through with David, only an act of love could make you fall into bed with someone.”

“Well, you don’t have to be so smug about it,” Isabella grumbled and then smiled when Lucy let out a laugh. They giggled for a few minutes at their own silliness before Lucy brought their conversation back into focus.

“Did you tell him about David?” Lucy asked.

Isabella looked away and blushed a little. “I meant to, but we got a little distracted.”

“Oh, I bet you did,” said Lucy with a smirk. Isabella wadded up a napkin and threw it at her sister, but they both settled down when the timer went off, announcing that their pizzas were ready.

They took their pizzas into the living room and ate them while watching HGTV. Their conversation was on hold for the time being, but it wasn’t over. They spent the next hour talking and arguing with the TV show before they went and cleaned up the kitchen. Isabella made cups of tea for them and carried them into the living room to wait for her sister. She knew the real talk would begin now.

“Izzy, will you tell me what happened?” Lucy asked as she reached out to hold her sister’s hand.

And Isabella told her everything. She told her about kissing Jack at the wedding, Jack showing back up in town, the mysterious note, and finally about David arriving and staking his claim again. At the end, Isabella was exhausted and Lucy could see it in her eyes. But there was fear there, too. And that made Lucy’s natural big sister instincts kick into high gear. They had gone through this before, when Isabella began dating Jasper and it had ended with serious consequences. But they would go through it again together, because that’s what family did.

“Do you still have the note?” Lucy asked gently, not wanting to upset her sister.

Isabella nodded and went to get it from the room she had turned into an office. She pulled it out of the desk drawer and went back to the living room to sit next to her sister and handed it over. She watched as Lucy read the note and her lips tightened.

“It’s David, isn’t it?” Isabella asked, worried.

“We always assumed he was the one who sent them before,” Lucy reminded her.

Isabella nodded. She had needed someone else to say it in order for her to believe it. “What do we do? We can’t prove that it’s him.”

The panic in Isabella’s voice was clear as day and Lucy remained calm, for Isabella’s sake.

“We’re putting deadbolts on the doors and I’ll have Marc and Jack check the locks. Marc and I can stay here for a while, too. Or you can stay with us. Or,” Lucy said with a twinkle in her eyes, “Maybe Jack can stay here, hmm?”

“Lucy, this is serious. Try to hold yourself together,” Isabella said with a roll of her eyes, but a smile on her face.

“We’re also telling the sheriff. No arguments,” Lucy said with a stern glance at her sister.

“But Lucy, we can’t prove anything.”

“Izzy, this town knows you. They know what Dad and David were like. Maybe this time will be different and we can catch him.”

“I’m scared, Luce. I’m really, really scared. I don’t want him here. I’ve finally moved on. I’m happy. And now he’s back and he won’t go away,” Isabella said as tears came to her eyes. It was her old nightmare come to life.

Lucy leaned over and hugged her sister tight. “I’m not going anywhere, Izzy. I’m going to stay here tonight. And tomorrow morning, we’re going to the sheriff. Maybe there’s something he can do. Jack and Marc will come and install the locks before we leave.” Lucy leaned back to look at her sister and wished she could do something more to erase the fear in her eyes. “We’ll do this together, just like we always do. We’re a family. And this time, we won’t let him get away. We’ll find something to stick on him and make sure he leaves you alone forever. Okay, Izzy? We’ll do it right this time.”

Isabella nodded and leaned against her sister, her solid rock, her guiding light for so very long. And she believed her. For the first time, she felt hope that this nightmare would end. She just had to hang on and ride out the storm.

“Oh, but Jack already changed the locks,” Isabella said.

“He did?” Lucy asked, surprised.

“Yeah. The other morning before he left,” Isabella said with a blush.

Lucy looked at her. “Izzy, you didn’t lock the door behind you today.”

Isabella winced. “I know. I’m just not used to having to do that. I promise I’ll be more aware of it from now on.”

“Good,” Lucy said as she nodded her head. Isabella was under a lot of stress at the moment and she needed Lucy to be calm instead of worrying like a mother hen.

“I have to tell Jack,” said Isabella as she pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Yeah, that might be best,” Lucy said as she brushed her sister’s hair out of her face.

“What if he hates me after he knows everything?” Isabella asked as she rubbed the small scar on her wrist.

Lucy reached over and stilled that movement, grabbing her sister’s hand in her own. “He won’t. Jack isn’t that kind of man.”

Isabella nodded. She knew Lucy was right, but she was still scared Jack would leave her. “I’ll tell him later. Tomorrow maybe.”

“This time, try not to get distracted,” said Lucy with a wink.

“No promises,” Isabella shot back with a grin.

Lucy squeeze Isabella’s hands before she went to call Marc and tell him she was staying with Isabella tonight. Isabella had never been more grateful for her sister than she was right then. Here her sister was, a newlywed, choosing to stay and make sure Isabella was okay instead of going home to her new husband that she had waited so long for. She promised that she would do whatever she needed to in order to end this and make sure David never ruined another life..

Next time would be different. Isabella would tell Jack everything. And together, they would figure it out. Because if they didn’t, David would win again and Isabella wasn’t going to let that happen. Not this time.